


Raven's Root

by MidnightKaito, SyriaFranz



Series: The Raven Conspiracy [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, Mythology - Freeform, Pandora's Box, Shifter AU, Story within a Story, The 3 Races AU, The Pandora Curse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 13:04:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4667585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightKaito/pseuds/MidnightKaito, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyriaFranz/pseuds/SyriaFranz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"the Last Hope lies in Maria..."</i>
</p><p>Stories are wonderful things. They put children to sleep, tell lessons and <i>sometimes</i>, just sometimes, they tell secrets lost to time and hidden from memory</p>
<hr/><p>This is a tale that was told to a young child, as he was in bed preparing to sleep. It is a story passed down generation to generation. A normal bedtime story in all appearances...however, not all stories are as they appear...and this one is a just a little bit <b><i>twisted</i></b></p><p>
  <i>"You have the Key..."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Raven's Root

**Author's Note:**

> **Kaito** : Yes, I'm well aware that there are 2 other stories currently in the works. LttS is still being worked on. We've just hit a bit of a roadblock in Chapter 5 that is being very stubborn about being resolved. If all goes well we should have Chapter 5 out by..well that all depends on Sychi. So go yell at her.
> 
> Now a bit about this story. As stated in the summary this story is being told to a young child. I won't tell you who the child is nor who the story teller is. Just know that you need to read this very carefully. Not all things are told in this tale, there will be some questions at the end. That's on purpose. It'll all be answered by the end of the series. Yes, I have the entire plot written out. The end notes are important as that is where extra trivia pieces will be put, and yes they will be important later.
> 
> This sets the tone and a bit of the background for the series as a whole. This series is my brainchild. Sychi has agreed to adopt it though. I'll still be helping out but I'm a bit busy with university and the other 2 stories.

_**Note: Please read the story note above before reading. Certain things are explain there that are important.**_  

* * *

**An Origin Tale: Raven's Root**

* * *

_"History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon."_

_-Napoleon Bonaparte_

* * *

 

Now my child. You must remember, this is a secret. You must never tell anyone whom you don’t trust unconditionally about this. It is a story that the Royal family have tried hard to erase.

Long ago, well before the cage we know as the Walls came into being and we huddled in fear of the beings known as Titans, humanity was _free_. We roamed the land, crossed the vast oceans and were even capable of soaring the skies. There was magic then.

Humanity was the undisputed rulers of this vast earth. We had knowledge and abilities that we have now forgotten and lost. We were _Warriors_. Rulers in all but name, and sometimes even then. We clustered into different groups, some enemies and others allies. It wasn’t a perfect world, but it was _ours_ and we lived in it peacefully, working together with the earth to live and survive.

Back then within humanity, there were three very different groups. The first two groups were nothing special in those times. One was capable of feats of strength and were highly intelligent, holding within their minds knowledge of the past. They were the History Keepers of the time. The second groups consisted of humans who were weak but numerous, compared to their counterparts. In their weakness they sought to contribute to humanity as a whole. So they became the farmers, the merchants, the teachers, the explorers and the Common People.

Now the final group. They were _extraordinary!_ There were fewer of them compared to the others, but they were powerful. They were the Rulers, the Leaders, the Warriors and the Protectors. They were especially connected to the earth, and it is though this connection that they drew their power. Oh my child, we can only _imagine_ their strength. They had sharper senses then the other groups, much sharper, some were capable of smelling where a person had been, others hearing the approach of a butterfly’s wings several meters away. Their intellect was also vast, though they lent more towards battle, leadership, ruling, tactics and combat. Then there’s the ability that made them great. That made them into the undisputed leaders of humanity. It was an ability called _shifting_ , and it is to this ability that they became known as _**Shifters**_. 

Oh? What is shifting you ask? 

Why it is a power that the Shifters drew from the earth itself, borrowing its power to accomplish their goals. Or so they say. 

The actual ability itself however was just as its name implied. It was the ability to take another form. Now the form differed from Shifter to Shifter, but it was always a form from nature, and it was always an animal; it didn’t matter if the animal was never seen or gone from the world. So long as it existed on earth at some point in time a Shifter had the ability to take the form.

Now, this ability may seem extremely powerful, and it was. However there are a few drawbacks. Do you remember them, child?

Ah, yes it seems you do. I’ll tell you anyways, just to be safe.

A Shifter could not _choose_ their form. The form they got depended on the Shifter’s character, soul, heart, need and wish at the time of their first shift.

A Shifter acquired the instincts of their other form.

Most Shifters only have one alternate form. Only the most powerful could take more than one alternate form.

Too long in their alternate form will cause a Shifter to loose themselves to the instincts of their other self. Only the most strong willed could stay in their alternate form indefinitely, and even they needed to return to their human form sometimes.

Shifters acquired the weaknesses of their other form when they took it, along with their strengths. Though they kept their human mind they couldn’t talk, they had to rely on their ability to communicate through body language. It is this main weakness that caused Shifters to sometimes be mistaken as common animals and killed, and thus Shifters took to bonding with a partner, someone who understood them in their alternate form and could talk for them. 

Those were the main drawbacks to the Shifter’s abilities. However for all its drawbacks they did get a boon from the earth. Some of the more powerful Shifters we given special abilities that appeared even in their human forms. Like the ability to harden their skin to protect themselves, or even excrete steam as a type of cover in order to get away.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Shifters had the ability to control the size of their alternate form. They still had certain rules placed upon them but it was still a very useful ability. There are stories of Shifters letting their partners ride them into battle. 

Ah yes. Back to the story it is then. Such impatience in you my little hunter.

The Shifters ruled humanity justly and fairly. The History Keepers recorded our past and spread their knowledge and the Common People worked to provide and contribute to the whole. That was the system back then and for a time it was as close to perfect as was possible, peace reigned and all was heavenly.

Then something happened. Accounts vary and even we do not know the full truth of it all, but one thing is known. It was greed and jealously that caused Humanity’s Fall, and with it the raise of the Titans and the Walls.

The story goes that some of those of the second group, the Common People, grew bitter over their weakness and jealous of the other two groups' power, even though they were the more numerous members of humanity. Their bitter jealously grew into hate and that hate into prejudice. They thought themselves under appreciated by the other two groups and thus a fracture happened. The first in a very long line of events that would lead to the creation of humanity’s cage.

The true start of The Fall, as it would be known, started when a young man, who came from the Common People, and grew up with their hate for the Shifters and the History Keepers and believed it wholeheartedly started to come up with an idea. He was smart, cunning and very charismatic. He gathered friends, and convinced those friends into his ideology. From this small group it spread to all corners of the world. A secret whispered in shadows so as not to arise the suspicion of the other two races of Humanity.

Until one day he befriended a History Keeper, who then allowed him access to the secrets of humanity’s ancient past. From those secrets he found a ritual. Something that would allow the Common People to rule instead of the Shifters. The only thing he needed was a Shifter’s Trust, and then his plan would be complete.

Ah yes. A Shifter’s Trust.

It is in essence something very precious and strong. Yet extremely fragile.

To have a Shifter’s Trust is to hold their life in your hands.

It is to be their partner, their anchor to their humanity, the one who understands them, who fights with them, who pulls them out when their instincts threaten to overcome them and could communicate for them when they entered their other form. It is to be in essence the other half of their heart and to be the Keeper of their souls. Once one has gained the Trust of a Shifter, the Shifter will be undyingly loyal to their partner and will fight to the death to keep them safe.

It is a dangerous thing to have and to give, for if given to the wrong person untold amounts of death and chaos will no doubt happen. It’s happened before.

Hm? You want to know who it was?

Why it was the young man who grew up in hate.

He accomplished his goal. He acquired a Shifter’s Trust.

He bided his time. Allowing the Trust between them to grow, until the Shifter trusted him unquestioningly. Then one day he called the Shifter to follow him into the woods. Within it he had prepared the ritual. From there he attacked the Shifter and wounded him within the circle he had prepared earlier. It activated the ritual and caused the Shifter to be immobile as a portion of his power was transferred into the young man and the rest was sealed into a box and _twisted_. Afterwards the young man preceded to devour the Shifter.

Yes, it was quite gruesome. Oh, my child, hush. There is no need to cry so. Let me finish this tale and you’ll see why.

Once the deed was done he took the box, and traveled back into town. The final part of his plan was now in motion.

He gave the box to the History Keeper that he had befriended.

Now, this History Keeper was in love with the man, it was the reason that she let him know of the secrets of the past, but she was also a very curious thing. The man used this to his advantage. Once he had given the woman the box and a key, he gave her a simple rule. _**Do not open it, under any circumstance**_.

The woman agreed. Simply happy to have been given such an exquisite box. Especially from someone whom she loved.

For one year she didn’t open the box. She nearly forgot it even existed.

However as time passed, it entered her thoughts, and she grew more and more curious as to what was inside. Surely it was nothing dangerous.

Until one day, it grew to be too much. So when night fell she stood from her bed and took the key from its hiding place. She then took the box and inserted the key, and opened it.

From the box came a horror. A power filled with malice and agony flew out and spread. In horrified shock she tried to shut it but was unable to as the power was too strong and kept it open. The malice filled aura then escaped outside and infected a vast portion of the population of Humanity, from the Shifters and History Keepers to the Common People.

The women collapsed to the ground in shock as the power caused untold amounts of death and destruction outside. It was then that the man she loved walked in, his expression blank. She ran to him and asked why he would give her such a horrid thing.

He _laughed_. And laughed and laughed.

Then told her his story. The reason why he befriended her and the Shifter. Why he pretended to like them when he in fact hated them. The reason he did what he did. What happened to the Shifter. His final plans and finally what exactly was in the box.

In the end she was horror struck. She could not believe it. She just stared and stood there as he then walked up to the box and closed the lid.

Finally the man committed the Last Betrayal.

He stabbed her and let her fall on the floor to bleed out. Then left. He had a kingdom to establish and rule.

As she lay there on the floor bleeding out the woman heard a voice.

_**It was coming from the box.** _

It pleaded with her to once more open the box. To find some way to somehow trust just this one last time.

She closed her eyes.

And made her choice.

It was with nearly the last of her strength that she crawled towards the box and opened it once more.

From it was not released another curse but the spirit of the Shifter that the man had killed.

The Shifter bent down towards her, and with the last of her breath and strength told him of the curse and a possible answer to a cure.

What was the curse you ask?

It reacted differently depending upon the race it inhabited.

The History Keepers and the Common People were turned into an unnatural form, losing their human minds to instinct, rampaging and consuming humans as they caused destruction, wishing to fill a void that existed in them, to stop the pain, yet didn't know how to.

For the Shifters, it was the most tragic. It forced them into the same unnatural form though they still retained their other abilities, it also caused them to submit to their instincts and rampage. The powers that were once a gift became a curse, their prison. Their instinct to protect was _**twisted**_. They wished for the same thing. To fill a void, and stop the pain. It existed within them well before the curse, their partners used to inhabit it. Now, in their instinct driven rampage, they only knew that their partners were the ones to stop it. So they consumed them, and when that didn't stop it, they consumed others.

The Shifter spirit felt it was partially his fault for giving his Trust to the wrong person and thus using part of his essence, his very soul. He sealed the abilities of all Shifters, even his own which now resided in the man, twisted as much as it was, so that they would be the same as the others, except for a single ability. He allowed them to keep their ability to shift back into human form, allowing them to keep their minds so long as they learned to push pass the rage and pain caused by the void.

It was with the final part of his soul, along with the woman’s that they set the stage for the possibility of humanity to once more spread their wings and escape the cage that was, even during that time, in the process of being made.

They etched their story, the history of humanity and the secrets of the past into the box. Hoping that one day, in the far future, even with the past being erased and rewritten into the vision of the man, that a Shifter powerful enough would appear and devour the man and the power that rested in him. That the Shifter would learn to unlock the seal and let the other Shifters remember their legacy. That their tragedy would not end without _hope_  and that their mistakes would not cause humanity’s extinction…and that the curse would be broken...

Oh?

You want to know their names?

Why, the female History Keeper was called _Pandora_.

The Shifter was called _Epimetheus_.

And the man?

Why my child, that man was _the First King_ …

Yes the same king whom made the Walls, was the one who caused _**The Fall**_ and the tragedy that is the Titans

And now you know why the Royal Family is so desperate to erase this story….

And why I need you to forget it for a time. Just until the last part of The Plan comes into play. Do not worry my Eren, it won’t hurt, and it’ll only be for a time.

_Goodnight…_

* * *

__**Note: Please read the story note below before moving on or closing. Certain things are explain there that are important.**_  _

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

>  **Kaito** : So how was it? Did you find all of the hints? Did the end catch you off guard?
> 
> Now some story notes.
> 
> Pandora's Box, is a very famous Greek Myth story. It's a tale of how curiosity can lead to disaster but how it can also lead to hope. Interpretations vary however, and I just used bits and pieces of the legend to make this story. I also twisted parts of the legend to fit better with the plot and the tale that is being told. 
> 
> The 3 races of Humanity that exist in the story are my own creation. I used bits and pieces of other myths to help with fleshing them out but most of it was out of my own head. You're welcome to use it but I urge you to please credit. There will be more information on the 3 races as the series continues. However I won't always be explicit about it. So you'll need to pay attention.
> 
> Some parts of the story skip time, certain parts aren't told or were even forgotten or lost. I tried to make it seem like a real story that was passed on through word of mouth generation after generation as the Royal Family tried to have it erased. So expect some parts to be inaccurate. Remember this is the story as Grisha was told it. The story as it was seen from the point of view of two ancient characters. Both dead, long ago. Parts will be inaccurate and others inconsistent. _This is on purpose_ The tale that Eren was told spans the 2,000 years that Humanity has lost. The Titans only appeared 100 years ago in the timeline of Canon, so what happened in the 1,900 years before that? That is what I'm trying to answer.
> 
> As was stated in the beginning of the tale, expect magic to be involved. It's one of the few ways I found to explain the Coordinate ability, how Humans were turned into Titans and the erasure of the past on such a vast scale. So expect bit and pieces like rituals and stuff to appear in story. I also ask that if you know a thing or two about it to please tell me if I get anything wrong or if there's something that you think can be used. I'm not an expert. What I have I researched like a crazy person. I'm mostly going to be using mythology as explanations, and other things in the series. Mostly from Greek, Aboriginal, Norse, Celtic and Druid myth (Are Celtic and Druid myth the same? Can someone tell me?). 
> 
> The story has bits and piece where Eren is implied to have asked a question or commented. You don't hear this bit as what he says isn't currently important. You can get a sense of what was said by the comments that Grisha makes. Yes, there are breaks in the story for this exact purpose. His tangents are important later on. Especially the tangent on the Shifters
> 
> Now the Shifters. The story on gives you a piece of the picture. They are not all powerful, nor are they with out weakness. There is more to the story then what Grisha has told Eren. Those pieces will come together as the series progresses. Don't worry about it. Keep it in mind but don't think too hard on it. You can go and have a Wild Mass Guessing party along with planting Epileptic Trees but don't go too overboard and give yourselves heart attacks, okay? I really don't want to be accused of being Kira...
> 
> Now the last bit. Yes, Grisha did erase Eren's memories. It'll be explained later on. Don't worry about.
> 
> Until the next time.


End file.
